Fuel

Any sort of combustible substance used for energy, either liquid, solid, or gaseous.

History

The Old World obtained its fuel from deposits of oil buried deep beneath the surface, formed from the remains of ancient life eons ago. The ancients used this petroleum to power their civilization, lighting cities and propelling vehicles, and its depletion was a primary cause of the Collapse. Today, there is virtually no oil left outside of Antarctica, and resurgent civilizations must make do with less convenient power sources as a result of their ancestors' spendthrift squandering.

The critical difference is that Old World fuel was an energy source, embodying millions of years of stored energy from sunlight in fossil fuels which could be extracted and combusted for a net gain, whereas fuel in the post-Anthropocene period is a means of energy storage, where energy gathered in one manner (such as by growing trees) is then transformed into a convenient form (like a liquid suitable for powering engines). Availability of fuels is thus limited by factors such as farmland and labor.

Types

• Coal: Still plentiful in the realms of the Appalachian Coal Kings, it can be used to heat steam boilers but is unsuitable for internal combustion engines unless it is refined to liquid form in complex industrial plants such as those operated by the Chicago Empire.
• Wood: Can be used to fire boilers like coal, or processed into liquid fuel. Canada relies on fuel derived from harvesting its vast forests.
• Biofuels: Some societies have seen success in capturing methane from plant and animal waste as fuel.
• Oil: Very rare, only found in a handful of deposits never exploited by pre-Collapse civilization. Antarctica's oil reserves were never tapped by the Old World and are carefully used Federation citizens under the principles of the Resource Trust.

Value

Varies by type and location

Rarity

Common